4/07/2020

Covid19 - 20,000 men under 14 days lockdown in dormitories

On April 1st I asked whether it was a fools day or a day of wisdom to decide tougher measures in view of the community spread that is getting more serious. 3 days later the govt announced that there will be a partial lockdown, called circuit breaker on 7 April. The semi lockdown is one week late. In the meantime we saw the biggest one day infection rate of 120 cases on 5 April and two workers domitories being declared as isolation centres.  All in 20,000 foreign workers would be lockdown in the two dormitories after two big clusters emerged from them, ie the S11 Dormitory in Seletar North (13,000 men) and the Westlite Toh Guan dormitory(7,000 men) in Toh Guan Road. S11 has 63 confirmed cases while Toh Guan has 28 cases at this moment of writing(6 April).

The locking down of 20,000 workers is only the first step. Now contact tracing of  the workers' companion should be on the way, many are foreign maids. This would be linked directly to their employers and their respective families. The possibility of the workers' companion being tested positive is high, and so will be their respective employers. How big these two clusters will be only time will tell.

And this is only the beginning of the problem, 20,000 people isolated. This brings to mind the isolation and containment of several thousand holiday makers in the cruise ships. The situation is quite similar and the risk as well. How many more of these workers in the isolation centres would eventually also be infected? If the experience of what happened in the cruise is to be repeated, the situation is dire.

If, I say if, the infection rate picks up and the workers in the centres are stricken by fear that they too would get infected, the big question is whether they would do a breakout. This likelihood is going to pose a big security problem to the gate keepers. How to guard and prevent a breakout of 10,000 to 20,000 foreigner workers fearing for their lives? These are not sophisticated people but poorly educated villagers and getting hysteria, being very frighten and running wild cannot be ruled out.

How many police or soldiers would be needed to guard these interned workers? If this thing explodes, it would be many times more serious than the Little India Incident and many times more difficult to control and to bring them back to an isolation centre. If there is a breakout and with some already infected, it would be a very serious problem. Controlling 20,000 people that are stricken with fear and panicking would need many times more manpower to do so unless the centres are secured before hand with effective barriers to reduce the workload of the gate keepers.

This is a hot potato and managing it is not easy when hell breaks loose. When they are so frighten and decide to run for their lives....

PS. 
The nation’s leading infectious disease specialist said Sunday night that as many as half the people infected with the virus may not have any symptoms, a much larger estimate than the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention gave last week.
“It’s somewhere between 25 and 50 percent,” said the specialist, Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, during a briefing by President Trump and members of his coronavirus task force on Sunday. NYT

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

There'll b a leader or speaker amount em.need to take note.

Virgo 49 said...

Mr RB. Another cluster at another Dorm.
Kranji Lodge

66 cases out of which 65 are locally transmitted.

Heavens Will slowly exposes their blunder.

Men proposes Heavens disposes.

Now slowly let the Sinkies see and feel their pains of what's happening with their never ending grow the enconmy at all costs and their open legged policies of 10millions.

Trying to pacify the Sinkies with MONIES. Give another three hundred but said six hundreds confusing all the daft sinkies with the carry forward of the first 300 to the fore making it 600.

Sinkies thought 600 but in the end the supposed 300 tripled to 900 now become 700. Last payout in June instead of Aug now 100.

Wah, real mathematician.

These Foreign Workers when worked up be a Real problem as in their home country, they used to protest and riots like everyday affairs.

No eyes see.

Sinkies must suffer for their see nothing, talk nothing and do nothing.

Think using Media for their Elections Campaigns with their full control and backing of their National Medias.
Even in Papies rallies, they have to bribe the old folks with chicken rice to entice them to their rallies.

But they never think that Sinkies would prefer to tune and log in to their own medias of the Oppo Camps to hear all their grouses.

So, OPPO have a better chance in bringing their platforms and campaign better than the PAP.

Anonymous said...

Not to worry. Trump said that 'this should not be happening with the USA', which should not be under lockdown and closed for business. How did he know?

Did anyone take serious note of this remark, or perhaps read between the lines? Why is he saying this? Obviously he had pre-knowledge or someone assured him that the USA wouldn't suffer the consequences or be in this position, that was why he was so cavalier in dismissing it's seriousness very early on, until now. Needless to say, he had all along expected China to be in this unpalatable position all along, while he was sitting pretty with his merry men, and making fun of the situation in Wuhan. Now playing the blame game is the only way to wriggle out of his predicament!

The other clue that makes the case more believable that the USA was the originator, had to be the outbreak on the two aircraft carriers. How did the infection reached the aircraft carriers when no one in Wuhan could be near to it. That smells like it was a self-inflicted outbreak on board, and that the carriers were hiding the virus for use on someone, but somehow it went out of control. Even one aircraft carrier cannot be easily explained away, but two is too much of a coincidence.

In any case, I think Trump now care less about the death of all the crew on the two carriers, looking at the way he treated the Captain of one of them, and his insistence that crews cannot leave the carrier, and that they must remain to man the carrier, bringing up again an imaginary threat of an attack. Is suppressing the evidence with all the crew decimated the reason for his doing this?

Anonymous said...

If the situation at the dormitories resulted in mass infection, using the circuit breaker seems too little too late. Testing and contact tracing will be a nightmare. This is the 'Pandora Box' that everyone fears.

It looks likely that early May to restart the circuit may be a trifle optimistic.

Anonymous said...

How many men needed to guard 20,000 from sneaking out or breaking out?

Anonymous said...

Virus-infected bangla boyfriend definitely pass the pathogen to their maid girlfriend if they have sex.

Anonymous said...

RB,

What you have written is quite true and quite scaring. However, I don't think the PAP Government is in any way afraid.

The PAP-majority Parliament is going to pass a Bill today to allow them to hold the Generation Elections, due by April 2021, during the COVID-19 Pandemic period, in anticipation of the People taking a Class Action to sue the Government?

If PAP leadership is not afraid of 2.6 million voters getting hysteria as a result of fear of COVID-19 virus infection during the Hastings and Votings, how can anyone expect PAP leaders to be afraid of a mere 20,000 foreign slaves to revolt and run amok?

An emperor without clothes does not know that he has no clothes on, because he listened only to his specially selected tailor, who has been whispering into his ears day and night, night and day!



Anonymous said...

Remnant British Empire's prime minister, Bor Is John's Son, is in Intensive Care Unit, after 11 days of confirmed COVID-19 infection. His symptoms have worsen. He may be the first national leader to succumb to this virus.

Probably Donuts John's Trumpet may also succumb afterwards?

Mike Pence is waiting eagerly on the sidelines, like a hungry crocodile, to take over?

Chua Chin Leng aka redbean said...

The foreign workers interned are not meek and timid like Singaporeans.

Also they have a high tendency to turn wild and lawless. When they panic or get hysterical, you would not know what they are capable of. Remember Little India.

Anonymous said...

20,000 may double to 40,000 or even a few hundred thousands.

No forget there are 2.3 million foreigners in Singapore cohabitating with 3.4 million Singaporeans.

Anonymous said...

Riot at tha Dormitoty will never be as damaging as THE WORKERS GETTING MASS INFECTED.
MRDICAL
STAFF ATTENDING TO ANY MASSIVE INFECTION SHALL ALSO BE OVERSTRESSED AND SHALL BE PRONED TO GET INFECTED AS WELL.
THE SITUATION IS DANEROUS AND DIRE INDEED.




Anonymous said...

How does one call an emergency situation?

Doctor: Isolation/Quarantine
Army: Secure
Pilot: May Day
Master: Abandon Ship
Computer Engineer: Firewall
Electrical Engineer: Circuit Breaker

Virgo 49 said...

Aiyo Anon.

Then the maid goes home after full satisfaction and home to Ah Mah. Ah Kong or Ah Gong.

Also Sir and Madam. Their kids how ah?

Stay also un close promixty.

Within the Four or No Halls or Walls.

Virus can spread or NOT?

Anonymous said...

20,000 people under quarantine in the dormitories.

Does this qualify for entry into the Guiness Book of World Records?

Anonymous said...

I think there are about 10,000 Malaysian workers who are now sheltering in Singapore.

With the Circuit Breaker lockdown (DORSCON Pink) in place, these 10,000 workers got any place to stay?

Who is paying for their accommodations in Singapore?

PAP.
Lampar song boh?

Anonymous said...


Hahaha....

If pap calls for GE now smelly smelly can get at least 85%!

Anonymous said...

PAP govt now has a chance to show off Singapore's awesome military assets by deploying them to surround the dormitories!

Anonymous said...

Understand Mike Pence already among the infected. But big evil said he is free of the virus.

Another lie probably means nothing to him! It's all in a day's lying!